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| Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam says he wasn't in an offensive photo of one person in blackface and another wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood in his 1984 medical school yearbook. |
Do the facts merit the penalty? |
| By Jim Moran |
| Justice is seldom the product of a rush to judgment. |
| We know that a photo on Ralph Northam's medical school yearbook page is abhorrent — to him and to all of us. We don't know anything more than that other than the fact that by his own admission, he displayed abysmally poor judgment in putting some black shoe polish on his face in 1984 in trying to impersonate Michael Jackson doing a moonwalk. |
| Forced resignation, though, is the political equivalent of the death penalty. Do the facts we know truly merit this penalty? |
| We do know some other things about Dr. Northam that seem counter to the charge of racism. He's a pediatric neurologist who has devoted his adult life to healing children — especially within low-income communities. We know that as governor, he expanded Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of uninsured Virginians, a disproportionate number of whom are minorities. We know he used his position to reinstate voting rights to former felons. We know he has pushed hard to improve the quality of public education, particularly in traditionally African-American communities. We know his pastor is African-American and, although Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax could undoubtedly have been elected with any running mate, we know that it is important to Northam that he be succeeded by such an African-American leader. |
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| I also know that Northam sees himself as a uniter and a bridge builder. He comes from a part of Virginia, the Eastern shore, that is conservative and was relatively slow to integrate. But the most effective bridge builders are those who are familiar with both sides of the divide they are trying to bridge. |
| These public shamings, where there is a frenzied rush to chew up and spit out the targets of our righteous indignation, can too often serve to push us into our respective corners, our ideological comfort zones, and thus further exacerbate the tribalism that is tearing our society apart. |
| The dominant religion of Western Civilization is Christianity, and the one word that best defines this set of beliefs is "redemption." Even if the worse case scenario is true, is it not possible that the power of redemption might present an even greater opportunity for Virginia to heal from its original sin? Slavery began in 1619 in Virginia, not far from where Ralph Northam was reared. He asks for a chance to learn from his failings and to prove who he is today. |
| Let's keep our eyes on the long-term prize and not yield to such a short-term rush to judgment. |
| Jim Moran is a former Democratic representative for the state of Virginia. You can follow him on Twitter: @Jim_Moran. |
What others are saying |
| Dean Obeidallah, CNN.com : "As a nation, though, I think we should carefully consider the most productive response in situations like this. We should be open to the power of legitimate transformation and redemption. We need to allow and encourage people to evolve for the better when it comes to racism, sexism and other forms of bigotry. And we should applaud those who sincerely change in the hopes it will inspire others to follow suit. If not, we could lose future allies and possibly thwart the advancement of our own nation. Of course, words of contrition should also be backed up by actions." |
| Dana Milbank, The Washington Post: "The Democrats' swift and severe reaction is reassuring. They have said allegations of past misconduct made Alabama's failed Senate candidate Roy Moore, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh and, above all, President Donald Trump unfit to serve, but they are holding their own to account as well. This isn't about politics but about right and wrong." |
| USA TODAY, editorial : "Whether or not Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam was one of the people in the photo, he was old enough to know better than to be associated with it in any way. He wasn't in high school. He wasn't a college undergraduate. He was graduating from medical school. ... Northam had many years to try to get out ahead of the story before it blew up in his face but apparently chose not to level with voters." |
What our readers are saying |
| Glad to see almost all Democrats are calling for Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's resignation. They're not doubling down on stupidity, like Republicans usually do to protect their own — especially the one in the White House. |
| — John Bertelson |
| All of this political witch hunting has got to stop — allegations based on decades-old "evidence." How about some real evidence, like actions demonstrating racial bias? |
| — Steve Hayes |
| If Northam has to resign for activities from 35 years ago, how does this bode for offenders such as Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa? |
| — Steve George |
| The picture I see depicts a symbol of a black man and of the KKK. I didn't see a cross burning, a noose around a neck or hanging from something, etc. |
| Why can't we get along and let bygones be bygones? I personally don't see what the big outrage is. But then again, someone always wants to turn anything they can into an uproar. |
| — Tina Brunner Englehart |
| To join the conversations about topics on USA TODAY or provide feedback to this newsletter, email jrivera@usatoday.com, comment on Facebook, or use #tellusatoday on Twitter. |
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